Building Bridges
by SillverMedal
Summary: ...Sequel to “Four Minutes”...How do you go back, when all you’ve ever wanted is what you’re living now? How do you keep a promise when you’ve sworn not to? How do you choose between the ones you love, and the ones that love you? Complete!
1. This Life

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A/N: I'm baaack. Here's the firstchapter of thesequel for anyone who wanted it.**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody._**

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C h a p t e r

**O n e

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NINE MONTHS LATER

_Hunter, Connecticut _

"You want to look at it first, or do you want me to?"

Zack looked at the letter in his father's hand. His report card. First quarter grades at Eastbrooke High, Hunter, Connecticut. He thought for a moment, studying the label on the back. _To the parents of Zachary Martin_. Well, one parent, anyway.

"You can open it." he said.

His father raised a brow. "You sure?"

"Yeah," said Zack. "Open it."

Kurt tore the envelope messily and took the paper out. He scanned the grades over and Zack watched him, beginning to grin. Kurt smiled, slowly lowering it from his face and nodding appreciatively at Zack.

"Well?" Zack asked him, grin widening.

His dad laughed and draped an arm over his son's shoulders. "I am _so_ proud of you, Zacko."

Zack leaned into his father and nodded. "Thanks. All A's and B's, right?"

"All A's and B's!" his father clarified. They walked over to the kitchen and he got out a magnet, posting the grades on the refrigerator happily. "What are your plans tonight, kiddo?"  
"I was gonna go hang out at the mal-,"

"-No, you're not!" his father grinned widely, spreading out his arms. "We're going to celebrate with dinner, ice cream, and a trip to Mike's!"

Mike's was the music store in town; selling everything from CD's to old records to guitars and drums and pianos to sheet music. It even had a mini recording studio for new and hopeful artists. Zack practically lived there.

Zack cheered. "When we leaving?"

Kurt looked gallantly at his watch, but then frowned instantly as he read what it said. "Ew," he said with a disgusted tone of voice. "Bad timing." He scratched his head. "I've got to be at the dealership in fifteen minutes but hey-," he brightened. "If I leave now I can be back by six and we can leave around seven. Sound okay?"  
"Sounds great!" Zack said happily. "Can I hang out with Nick until then?"

Kurt looked at him strictly. "At his house, and his parents have to be _home_-,"

"-I know, I know," Zack took out his cell phone. "You want me to call?"

"Yeah. Put it on speaker, will you?"

"_Dad_," he whined. "Why can't you _trust_ me?" Kurt let the question fizzle and die and Zack sighed. "Fine." He pressed two on speed dial and then pressed a side button so that the ringing was heard throughout the kitchen. "Don't say anything!" Zack told his father who held up his hands in a mock surrender.

A click. "Hello?"  
"Hey, man, it's me."

"Hey, Zack," the boy on the other end said warmly. "Sup?"  
"You cool to hang out tonight?" Zack asked, shooting a look at his father who had made to say something embaressing like "yo, yo, sup, my homie?".

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool," said Zack. "Your house okay?"

"Yup. Bring your guitar."

"Nick, I always bring my guitar."

"Then don't forget it."

"I won't, I won't. Hey, your parents'll be there, right?"

"Yeah, my mom's trying to install a new TV."

"And how's that going?"

"You seriously don't want to know."

Zack laughed and disconnected, nodding gratefully at his father. "You managed not to embarrass me."

Kurt stretched lazily. "What can I say? It's a gift."

Still laughing, Zack hurried off to grab his guitar.

* * *

When Cody collected their mail from Mr. Moseby at the front desk his heart dropped when he saw his report card shuffled between the bills and flyers. He walked past the new candy counter girl (her name was something like Bridget or Beatrice) sullenly and gloomily rode the elevator up to the suite. He could deposit the offending envelope, but his mother would probably find out anyway and then he'd be even more screwed than he already was.

He opened the door his mother had left unlocked and closed it behind him, tossing the stack of mail on the kitchen counter and collapsing into a loveseat sadly.

"Did you get the mail?" his mother asked from the bathroom.

"Yeah," he answered moodily, heart beating nervously. He rubbed his temples and tried to quiet his breathing. His grades couldn't be that bad. They couldn't be. Not Cody Martin; not honor student since the sixth grade. He hadn't done that bad, had he? No, of course not.

Carey walked out of the bathroom and gave him a cheery grin. A grin he tried to return, but failed miserably. Literally.

"What's wrong, Cody?"

He sighed. "My report card came," he said, voice cracking on the word 'card'.

"Okay," Carey looked at him carefully, shuffling through the mail before pulling the letter out. "Am I going to be disappointed or…?"

"Maybe," said Cody, burying deeper in the seat. "Yeah."

Carey frowned and opened the envelope neatly, taking the letter out and scanning over it. "Honors Math: C," she read out loud, voice unbelieving. "Advanced Literature: C-, government: B, German: C, CAD two: C, chemistry: _D+_? Cody…" She looked up from the paper, face shocked.

"I know," he whispered, tears collecting in his eyes as he flushed.

"This is…This is…" Carey gaped at him. "I don't even know what to say,"

Cody sighed deeply and wiped a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Carey looked at him for a moment, then shook her head slowly and motioned for him to join her as she slowly walked over to the couch. "Come on," she said. "We need to have a talk."

He got up from the chair miserably and sat down next to her. Carey put her arm around his shoulders and drew him closer to her

"What's wrong, baby?" she asked. "You've been so…_different_ this year?"

Cody shrugged, withdrawing inside himself like he always did when something was wrong.

"I know you miss Zack, honey but-,"

"-I don't miss him." Cody cut in shortly, tensing up and pulling away from her.

Carey sighed sadly. "Well, _I_ do," she said. "And I'm sure he misses us, too,"

Cody folded his arms over his chest and looked away determinedly. "Then why doesn't he come _home_?" he demanded angrily. "He's _been_ there long enough, he can come back now!"

"He has to make the decision himself," Carey answered gently. They'd been over this a million times in the past nine months. "When Zack feels that he's ready he'll come back. Until then we need to give him the space to fix his own problems."

Cody rolled his eyes furiously. "He's _been _ready," he said savagely. "He just doesn't want to go back because he likes it at Dad's better."

"That's _enough_, Cody," Carey said sternly, and Cody knew he'd touched a nerve. "Just because you're angry at your brother does not mean you can slack off in school and ruin your future. You used to get straight A's, and this is _not_ acceptable, do you understand? I want to see some improvement immediately, young man."

Cody grumbled his understanding and stormed off to his room.

Life had ceased to be fair a long time ago

Later that night Zack and Kurt returned home (new albums and guitar case in tow) and said their goodnights. In a great mood, Zack opened up his laptop and typed in his password to read his messages. One from the each of his band mates about the talent show, one from Allison regarding the winter dance, and the one from-

-_Cody_?

Zack's eyebrows shot up and he clicked on the subject (which said **_no subject_**) to read what it said.

_If you're not coming home then at least take bk your trophies. i'm sick of looking at them. –cody (ur brother, remember?)_

_p.s._

_nobody likes a liar._

Zack sighed stared at the screen. What the hell would he say to _that_? Ticked off that his great day was ruined by a rude email he switched off the laptop and went to bed, trying to forget about Boston.

Easier said than done.

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**To Be Continued**

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_Please Review!_


	2. Tomorrow

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_._

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_Heaven forbid you end up alone and don't know why  
Hold on tight wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright_

-The Fray; _Heaven Forbid_

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**C h a p t e r T w o**

_Hunter, Connecticut_

By the next morning Zack had forgotten about the email from Cody. He hurried down to eat breakfast and enjoyed the Frosted Flakes with his father. Kurt wasn't conservative on most things, but when it came to meals he believed that no man should ever eat alone.

It may have steamed from his own rocky childhood, but as he began the topic of classic rock (Queen vs. The Rolling Stones) with his son, Zack really didn't care. He munched on his peanut-butter toast (a delicacy he now loved) and defended _Bohemian Rhapsody_ and _Don't Stop Me Now_.

"Alright, kiddo," Kurt said a few minutes later, glancing at the clock above the little oven. "We gotta get you to school."

Zack sighed but nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"But keep up those _terrific_ grades, Zack-man."

Zack looked up at his father, eyes suddenly wide. "What did you call me?" he managed to ask, voice choked.

Kurt frowned. "Zack-man?"

Zack fought to catch his breath, the color draining out of his face. "Don't-," he forced out, blinking and trying to calm himself down. "Don't call me-,"

"-Zack?" Kurt moved towards his son quickly and grasped his upper arms. "You okay? You need your inhaler?"  
Zack clutched at his throat, trying to suck in air but only managing to gasp loudly. He nodded and clenched his eyes shut. A bolt of panic shot through him and he began to shiver violently. That name…That _nickname_ brought back painful memories of Patrick and drugs and all the crap he'd gotten himself into…

Suddenly, he remembered the email from his brother and he began to groan before realizing that his throat was on fire and he couldn't _breathe_…!

Kurt came bolting into the room, inhaler in hand, and Zack took it, inhaling oxygen greedily.

His father watched him in concern. "Are you okay?"

Zack nodded, still panting a little. "Yeah," he said softly. "Thanks,"

Kurt helped him rise from the seat and looked skeptically at him. "You gonna be okay at school? I can take you in late-,"

"-Nah, dad, really, I'm good," Zack pulled off a grin (he was getting very good at faking those) and repressed a yawn. "Tired, but good."

Kurt looked unconvinced. "What triggered the asthma attack, Zack?"

Zack ran hand through his long bangs and coughed slightly. "It's just-," he shrugged, suddenly feeling rather silly for reacting so harshly to a simple nickname. "-When you called me Zack-man? This guy, Patrick, I told you about him, remember?" Kurt nodded gravely. "He'd always call me that so I guess it just…I dunno, brought back the memories, or something."

His father nodded again. "Thank you for telling me, kiddo," he smiled and nodded at the door. "Go get your backpack; I'll meet you out in the car."

And Zack grinned and ran to fetch his things.

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_Boston, Massachusettes_

Cody stood at his locker, staring at his textbooks but not really seeing them. Math. He had math first period. He needed the red book. But his arms wouldn't listen to his mind and he simply stood there like an idiot.

"Cody Martin thinking," a voice from his left. Cody didn't even need to turn to know it was Tapeworm. "Always a dangerous thing."

Cody sighed. "Are they waiting for me?"

Tapeworm leaned in closer. "In the science hallway."

Cody nodded. "So if we take the west stairs and cut through the Spanish area…"

"That should work," Tapeworm glanced behind him before leaning in again. "Report cards came yesterday. Patrick should be in a bad mood."

Cody swore under his breath and groaned. "Great," he spat out sarcastically. Tapeworm gave him a sympathetic shrug.

"We should get going. It'll be at least three more minutes the way we're going, and I got four tardies last quarter." Tapeworm laughed nervously. "Thank God I had all A's to pull it off, right?"

"Yeah," said Cody, trying to sound optimistic. "Yeah, me, too," he lied.

"Man," Tapeworm shook his head as they started off towards class. "I don't know how you do it, Codes'. You've had a perfect four point o' GPA since the ninth grade. If I had that my parents would worship me."

Cody faked a laugh and bent his head so he wouldn't have to look at anyone staring and pointing at him. "Yeah, well, you know," he said quietly.

It was only when his first hour class had started that he realized he had grabbed the blue textbook.

* * *

Kurt watched Zack join Nick and his friends out in front of the school and was about to pull away when his cell phone began to ring. Seeing who it was, he frowned and answered it.

"Kurt," said his ex-wife. "It's Carey."

"Yeah. How are you?" He put the car in park and glanced at the clock. He'd have to be at the dealership in twenty minutes.

"This isn't about me, Kurt, it's about Cody,"

Her tone was that guarded angry voice she always used when speaking to him. "Cody?" Kurt scratched his head. "Is he alright?"

"No," said Carey and Kurt frowned deeper.

"Is he hurt?"

"No, he's not hurt," Carey sighed. "He misses his brother."

"Zack?" Kurt raised a brow. "Well, Carey, I'm sure Zack misses him, too, but we agreed that he'd stay here until he-,"

"-Until he felt better about things. Yes, I know," Carey let out another long sigh. "But isn't he by now? It's been almost a year. We haven't heard anything back in awhile and I'm worried about him."

"Carey," Kurt fiddled with his seatbelt. "Zack's doing really great right now. _Really_ great. His report card came yesterday; all A's and B's."

"That's-that's the best he's done in high school," Carey said softly, as though hesitant to believe that the good grades had only come whenher sonwas with his father.

"Yeah. And he's happy, too." Kurt grinned. "I mean, you should see him with his friends. They really get along good together. And he _loves_ the school."

"He can't stay there forever!" Carey cried out. "His home is here; in Boston! He's got a mother and a brother who miss him and want him back. If he's over his problems then he needs to come _home_-,"

"-Did you ever think that maybe he _wants_ to stay here?" Kurt couldn't help feeling angry; his son had finally felt good about himself and his life, and now he was being asked to just drop it all and go back to where he'd screwed everything up.

"As a matter of fact I did," Carey answered, tone icy. "That is exactly why I didn't want to send him to you, Kurt. You've…_Convinced_ him to stay. You've made him _hate_ Boston and love living with _you_-,"

"-_I_ haven't done anything but be a good father to him, Carey," Kurt defended himself. "You can't _ask_ him to leave. _He's_ got to make that choice. _Alone_."

And he ended the call and drove away.

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**To Be Continued

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_Please review!_


	3. World's Own

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

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_What does not destroy me, makes me strong._

-John Milton

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Zack somehow managed to get through the day without being issued any homework, and when Nick dropped him off back at the house he went straight for his guitar and began to play.

He and his dad had been working on some songs together; little melodies that would probably never be heard by other ears. It was kind of a bonding-thing for them; some fathers took their sons to football games, Kurt and Zack played music.

So it was no surprise to him that he had zoned out while he strummed, and that the clock now read three-forty-five. He'd been home for an hour and he hadn't even noticed the minutes go by. Laughing slightly he sat down at the small computer and pulled up his emails. Four new messages.

Three were from friends, but one caught his attention. It was that one from Cody the night before he hadn't deleted. And there it was; glaring at him, mocking him. A little tingle of guilt stirred melodramatically in the pit of his stomach, but it disappeared as soon as he remembered why he was in Connecticut in the first place.

Because…He wasn't _ready_ to go back to Boston yet. He _wasn't_. No. Definitely not. If just the reminder of "Zack, man" had triggered an Asthma attack then he shouldn't leave Hunter yet.

_You weren't scared of it, you were surprised_…A little voice in his head began to nag him. _You were ready months ago. How many times have you turned down pot? Seven? Eight? Ten?_

Zack sighed and clicked REPLY. His fingers hovered over the keyboard in hesitation and he chewed on the inside of his lip. He reread the message from his brother, rubbing at his eyes.

_If you're not coming home then at least take bk your trophies. i'm sick of looking at them. –cody (ur brother, remember?)_

_p.s._

_nobody likes a liar._

He rolled his eyes, flexed his hands and began to type.

_don't be a jerk. i'll come home when im ready. i'm not a liar._

_-zack_

He read his own answer and, though it was a bit aggressive, he deemed it an appropriate response and clicked SEND.

His conscience put at ease he grabbed his guitar and began to play some more.

* * *

"I don't have any money! I spent it all at lunch!" Tapeworm protested, his voice an octave higher than usual as Patrick pushed him up against the brick. His friends (one of them pinning Cody to the wall) glared menacingly.

"Don't lie to me, loser!" Patrick shoved Tapeworm farther up the wall. "_Give me your money_!" When Tapeworm made no move accept to look back with wide, terrified eyes and Patrick raised a fist.

"Stop!" Cody shouted at him, struggling but unable to get free. "He doesn't have any money! He's telling you the truth!"

Patrick turned his head towards the other boy and narrowed his green eyes. "Shut the hell _up_, Martin. _You're_ next." Cody tried to relax; maybe if he gave the kid holding him the false impression of acceptance he'd be able to escape.

"You don't got any money?" Patrick snarled in Tapeworm's face. Tapeworm nodded meekly and Patrick shoved a knee into his stomach. Tapeworm curled up in pain and Patrick shoved him into the ground before laughing and rounding on Cody.

Cody watched his friend moan as he tried to sit up and clenched his jaw in anger. "He never did anything to you," he said lowly as Patrick sneered in his face.

Patrick snorted and his friends laughed on cue. "I'm sure I could think of something if I really _wanted_ to." Cody bit his lip. "You got any money on you, Martin?" Patrick glared.

"No," Cody answered, trying to sound defiant and brave. "And before you call me a liar, I didn't have any for lunch today, either. I had to borrow from the office."

"What-do you want me to feel _sorry_ for you, Martin? Is that it?" Patrick laughed meanly. "No. I got a better idea than _pity_, or whatever." He grabbed Cody and shoved him against the brick, grinning wider as the twin's head knocked against the wall. Cody sucked in a quick breath but managed not to cry out. Patrick, apparently unsatisfied, punched him in the face and Cody stumbled to the ground, staggering to his feet a moment later while holding his now-bleeding nose.

Cody shook his head slightly. "It's not my fault what happened to Sam!"

This seemed to anger Patrick more and he sent a kick to Cody's groin, but the smaller boy managed to dodge the hit. "Did _Zack_ tell you to say that? Huh?" He started forward again.

Cody moved over to Tapeworm who stood shakily, watching the scene, face pale. "Don't talk about Zack," Cody protested. "He didn't tell me anything!"

Patrick rolled his eyes. "He better not show his ugly face here ever again, because if he does I will seriously _murder him_!" Cody flinched slightly. He didn't take the threat as a joke. Patrick smiled furiously. "And because we can't kill him, you're the closest thing we got."

Cody began to back away; this was his chance to get away. He grabbed Tapeworm's arm and pulled him into a run. Somehow they managed to ditch the bullies in the city and, panting and shaking, they bid a silent goodbye as they ran their separate ways. Cody ran into the lobby, holding a hand against his nose as it throbbed and tried to duck the glances of the lobbyists and hotel staff as he boarded the elevator. He yanked open the door to his suite and slammed it behind him, tears burning the back of his eyes.

Escaping into the bathroom, Cody locked the door and leaned over the sink; watching blood drip from his face and mingling with salty tears.

A day in the life of Cody martin. Nine months and counting.

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**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	4. Mirror, Mirror

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

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_Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself  
This truth drives me  
Into madness  
I know I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

-Evanescence;"Whisper"

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Carey heard him crying when she walked into the suite. She rested the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter and stood outside the bedroom door. Her hand hovered above the doorknob and she closed her eyes briefly before turning it.

Cautiously peering inside she saw him lying face down on his bed; sobbing into a pillow and hands gripping the comforter in a white-knuckled hold. Sighing she sunk down onto the bed and gently stroked his hair.

"Cody?" she said softly and he gave a great sniff, the cries halting instantly. "You okay, baby?"  
He shook his head in the pillow, not saying anything.

Carey massaged her temple before replying, feeling a faint headache creeping in. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Another shake of his head.

"Is it about Zack?" Carey asked carefully.

Cody tensed. "It's about everything!" he shouted, springing up from the bed and pushing away from her. His nose was red, and dry blood caked his skin. His blue eyes were shadowed and baggy, his lip was slightly swollen, and his face was pale.

"Cody-," Carey gaped at him, heart sinking at the sight of her son. "What happened?"

Cody glared at her, but she sensed that he was not angry with her, but more angry at the world in general, which was really nothing all that new.

"Everything!" he burst out. "It's about stupid _Zack_ liking dad better than us and these frickin' _classes_ I don't have time to think about because _Patrick_ is too busy being a _dick_ and Tapeworm and I have to go all the way around the school 'cuz if we don't he'll find us and _beat us up_ like he did after school today and-and-," he couldn't seem to think of more things to say, so he folded his arms and sighed shortly in frustration, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes at the carpet.

Carey was left speechless. "Patrick?" she repeated breathlessly. "_He_'_s_ been beating you up?" Cody nodded numbly. "_Why_?"

"Because he's mad at Zack," said Cody bitterly. "Because of the d-," he stopped, suddenly remembering that his mom didn't know anything about Patrick's involvement in Zack's brief spell with drugs and, still harboring a little loyalty left towards his brother, he didn't want to be the one to tell her. "Just because."

"And he's…Taking it out on you?"

Cody laughed angrily. "Yeah, _hilarious_, isn't it? Just _peachy_." He kicked at the ground. "I mean, hey, I _look_ like Zack, and I _sound_ like Zack so I'm _close enough_, right?" Tears spilled down his cheeks again and he wiped them away furiously.

Carey closed her eyes for a moment. "This is just—just so _wrong_," she said softly. "What is _wrong_ with schools these days? Drugs and bullies and kids killing themselves…_None_ of this ever happened when I was in high school."

Cody chose not to answer.

"Well, I'm," Carey sniffed and cleared her throat, trying to sound strong. Cody didn't buy it, but he was sensitive so he pretended to. "I'm going to get this straightened out, Cody, don't worry."

Cody looked at her alarm. "No!" he cried. "No, mom, you can't do that!" she looked at him in bewilderment.

"Why ever _not_, Cody? This doesn't have to happen—this _shouldn't_ happen!"

"Just…Mom, please," Cody's tone turned to a begging. "I can-I can deal with this, okay, I was being over dramatic and I wasn't thinking…I can handle it."

But Carey's mind was set. "No," she said firmly. "I almost lost Zack, and I'm not going to lose you, too," she sighed and held out her arms. "Come here," she said softly and he accepted her hug, gently returning it.

"Can you make it an anonymous complaint?"

* * *

Kurt looked over the table at his son. Their dinner consisted of ham sandwiches and microwavable rice, tall glasses filled with ice water and chocolate chip cookies waiting for dessert.

"So," Kurt said, chewing thoughtfully on the bread. "Cody wants you to go back to Boston, but you don't think you're ready?"  
Zack gulped down more water than was intelligent and had to wait a moment before answering. "No," he said. "He _doesn't_ want me to come back. Well," Zack looked at his fork and considered the matter. "He _kinda_ does. It's sorta hard to tell."

"Meaning…?" Kurt looked at his son for an explanation.

Zack shrugged. "It's like, he kind of hints at it without meaning to. Like, his email last night said that if I wasn't gonna come back, that I should take my old basketball trophies," he left out the part about being dubbed a liar.

"So, _you_ think he's too…I don't know, too _proud_ to ask you to come back?"

Again, Zack shrugged. "Yeah, but, see, being proud and all that; _that's_ not Cody. He's not like that. If he wanted me to come back to Boston he'd just tell me. In that geeky-Cody kind of way," Zack smiled a little.

Kurt returned the expression before swallowing another bite of the sandwich. "And have you thought that maybe he's changed since you saw him last?" He swallowed. "It's been nine months, after all."

Zack stared at his food solemnly. "Changed?" he echoed quietly. "I don't—do you think he has? Changed, or whatever?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know what to think, Zack, I haven't talked to him at all, and from what I could gather from the conversation with Carey this morning, neither have you."

Zack looked up. "You talked to mom?"

Kurt raised a brow. "Yeah, Zack, parents do that sometimes. Talk to each other." He chewed the statement over with his rice. "And," he began, mouth full. "We talked about stuff."

"What stuff?" Zack wanted to know, suddenly not interested in dinner.

Kurt hesitated. "Me defending myself, stuff. But hey, that's nothing new." He sounded bitter and Zack chose to ignore the friction between his mother and father.

"What does-does mom think you're kidnapping me, or something?"  
Kurt laughed shortly. "Something like that."

Zack sighed and pushed his plate forward. "I don't know," he said, looking out the little window. "But I'm not ready to go back."

Kurt looked at his son closely. "Not ready?" he said slowly, placing the fork down on the plastic plate. "Or not willing?"  
Zack groaned. "Same thing," he protested, looking desperately at his father suddenly. "Wait, you're-you're not gonna _make_ me leave, are you?"

"Of course not, Zack, I'm not 'making' you do anything. Like in our talk, that doesn't work for you."

"Right," Zack agreed, nodding. "Right, yeah, no, it doesn't. So I'll choose when I'm ready. It's my call when I go back to Boston."

"You're call," Kurt assured him calmly.

Zack nodded again, firmly. "Okay." He stood from the table. "I'm gonna go do my homework." And he started for the stairs.

"And hey, Zack!"

Zack stopped and turned to look at his father.

Kurt waved an arm, motioning around the kitchen. "As long as you need to be here, you're welcome here. Okay? My home will always be your home, too." Zack grinned sincerely and Kurt smiled. "But if you're using Connecticut and me as some sort of-I don't know, like some sort of _hideout_, I just want you to know that you're going to hurt your brother, and you may already have. And if you hurt Cody, Zack, you're hurting yourself as well. And I sure didn't bring you here to hurt yourself any more."

Zack stared at his father for a long time. "I know," he said. "I just…I'm not sure I'm ready. And I want to be the one who decides when I am. I'm sixteen; I'm not a little kid anymore."

Kurt nodded. "I know you're not."

"Okay," said Zack. "Then let me make my own choice."

* * *

That night Cody lay in bed, in a room where he was alone. Always alone. Nine months and counting. Counting the days until Zack came back. Zack: his big brother, his protector, and in more ways than one his hero.

But Zack wasn't here.

Zack didn't want to be here.

Zack had found a new life. And as happy Cody was for his brother, as glad as he was that Zack had overcome his failures, he wasn't the _same_ without him.

He wasn't _Cody_ without him.

Even if he still looked the same.

Mirrors had a tendency to lie.

* * *

That night Zack lay in bed, in a room where he was alone. Always alone. Nine months and counting. Counting the days until he made some unconscious decision to go back. Counting the days until he was ready again. Ready to face Boston, his old friends, his mother, Cody…

But Cody didn't want him to go back.

Or did he?

Zack didn't know. He was confused and happy and so _thrilled_ to have found a place where he finally _felt_ at home. To have found friends who liked him for him, not for what he did _with_ them.

But still…Zack wasn't the same without Cody.

They were twins. It was a fact. They'd grown up together, and though Zack may be as happy as he could be in Hunter, Connecticut, there was something dreadfully and annoyingly missing.

His brother.

Groaning, his turned over and away from the mirror across from his bed.

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**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	5. A Lack of Need

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

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_Gone, like yesterday is gone,  
Like history is gone,  
The world keeps spinning on,  
You're going, going, gone,  
Like summer break is gone,  
Like Saturday is gone  
Just trying to prove me wrong  
You pretend like your immortal_

-Switchfoot; _Gone_

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When Cody met Tapeworm at his locker the next morning his friend had nothing to report. Patrick wasn't anywhere to be found. This may have been regarded as a danger sign, but Tapeworm had seen Patrick's friends hanging around the cafeteria without him, and Patrick wasn't one to be alone.

"So…Maybe he's sick, or something?" Tapeworm suggested as they cautiously made their way to their first period class.

"No," said Cody. "My mom found out about all thisyesterday when I got home; she probably called the school and they suspended him."

Tapeworm grinned. "Maybe they'll expel him."

"Yeah, he's done enough drugs I'm sure they can find _something_ that'll get rid of him for good." said Cody.

They walked into their math classroom and took their seats. Cody pulled out his textbook and binder and began opening to last night's homework; homework he hadn't exactly done. He was busy scribbling in answers (all of which he would later find out were correct; it appeared that he was now lazy, but no less intelligent) when the girl next to him (who's name he thought was Martie. Or was it Mary?) leaned across and whispered in his ear.

"_D'you hear about Patrick O'Dell_?"

Cody shook his head and listened eagerly.

Martie/Mary laughed softly. "He got expelled!" she spilled, undoubtedly going to burst if she did not share this juicy bit of news soon. "They found cocaine stuff in his locker and at his house!"

Cody looked at her, feigning disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yeah!" Martie/Mary nodded exuberantly. "Did you know him? Was he really like, _into_ that stuff?"

Cody raised a brow. "I could see him doing it, yeah,"

Martie/Mary shook her head, still smiling widely, and went back to doodling in her planner. Cody sighed softly and went back to the assignment.

* * *

Kurt was at the car dealership looking over a few papers when his cell phone began to vibrate. He checked the caller ID and groaned, before flicking it open.

"Hello?"

"Kurt, it's Carey."

Kurt made a face but answered pleasantly. "Hey, Carey, how are you?"

"I'm hoping you'll…_reconsider_ what you said last time we talked."

Kurt raised a brow. "Reconsider…What-you mean the part about Zack coming back to Boston?"

"It's just that…Cody _needs_ him. One of Zack's old friends has been—beating him up after school and bullying him between classes and-and I called the school and they expelled him for _drug use_, but I'm worried about Cody. About our _son_."

"Look, Carey," Kurt sighed and rubbed a hand over his stubbled face. "I'm worried about Cody, too, but now thatthat kid's been expelled don't you think the problem is solved?"

"No, I do _not_!" Carey said loudly and Kurt cast a nervous look at the customer just outside the little office. "He _needs_ Zack! His grades were…Were horrible, Kurt. All C's, one D; he used to get straight A's!"

"Carey," Kurt tried to sound calm. "If Cody's decided to slack-off, how is that _Zack's_ fault? _Zack_ got all A's and B's! Better than he's ever done before-,"

"-Don't compare our _children_!" Carey sounded disgusted and Kurt for the life him could not understand _why_. "This isn't some-some _competition_ between you and I, Kurt, these are our _children_ we're talking about!"

"I-," he began to defend himself but his ex-wife interrupted viciously.

"-Zack needs to come _home_, Kurt. He needed to get away for a little while, but it's been nine months, and from how it sounds he's more than ready to come back."

"Carey, _don't_!" Kurt cut in. "_How_ do you think he's going to react when I tell him he doesn't have the choice anymore? Huh? _How _am I supposed to tell _my son_ that's he has to go back to where he totally _screwed up_, and he _can't_ stay with me anymore? _How_, Carey?"

"By reminding him that he has a family that _loves_ him and _misses_ him!" She sounded close to tears and Kurt sighed deeply. "By reminding him that his _brother_ is here and needs his _support_. Remind him, Kurt, becauseapparently he's _forgotten_!"

Kurt took a deep breath. "Okay, let's just calm down, alright? Why don't we-,"

"-I'm not losing both my babies," Carey said, tears in her voice. "When Zack's not here, Cody suffers. But when Zack _is_ here, _he_ suffers. Why…" she trailed off and Kurt heard crying in the background.

He closed his eyes briefly before replying. "I'll talk to Zack. I'll see what I can do. Tell Cody I love him, and to hang in there."

"No, Kurt, I'm sorry but I can't trust you to convince Zack. I'm coming up to get him this weekend. He needs to come home if he's ready."

"Carey! You can't take him away from school in the middle of the year! Away from his _friends_ and his music and his _life_-,"

"-I'll work something out. He's strong, he's smart, he can deal with it. His _life_ is _here_, Kurt. In Boston. I'm coming to take him _home_."

And she ended the call.

Kurt buried his head in his hands, suddenly feeling the weight of the world. It was all suddenly too complicated, too risky, too much to think about.

"Excuse me?"

He looked up. A woman and her two children stood before his desk. Heblew out his breath and shuffled the papers."Can I-," he cleared his throat and blinked a few times. "Can I help you?"

"We're looking for a car for our family. Can you help us with that?"

"Yeah," said Kurt, trying on a fake smile. "Yeah, I can help."

* * *

That night Kurt heated up tomato soup and set out buttered bread and tall glasses of ice water.

"…Talking to Nick and he said that I should ask Kara to the Winter Dance," Zack was saying, mouth full. "What do you think? Think I should?"

Kurt was staring off into space, deep in thought.

"Dad?" Zack waved his spoon in front his father's face. "_Dad_?"

"What?" Kurt blinked, sitting up straighter. "Yeah. Um. About that, kiddo-,"

"-Okay, so maybe Kara's a bit extreme." Zack took another sip of soup. "But I was thinking that maybe _Ashley_ would want to go-,"

"-No, not about girls," Kurt opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of what to say. "Your-mother called me again today."

"So?" Zack bit off a corner of bread.

"So…" Kurt sighed. "Zack, she wants you to go back home."

Zack raised a brow. "This _is_ home, dad."

"No, home as in Boston," Kurt was touched by his son's loyalty to living with him, but it made saying what he had to say all the more harder. "Apparently Cody's not doing too well."

Zack looked up quickly. "Is he okay?"

Kurt shrugged. "He's been having-problems with bullies beating him up. His grades have dropped, and your mother's worried about him."

"He's getting beat up?" Zack swore. "What the hell's _wrong_ with some people? You know, it's like, Cody's the _nicest_ guy in school; wouldn't hurt a frickin' _fly_! _Who'd_ wanna hurt him?"

Kurt shrugged again. "Has he said anything about it to you?"

Zack scowled. "_No_. He sent me rude emails, remember?"

"Look, Zack, I really need you to consider your brother's welfare. I think you're more than ready to go back, and I think you're needed in Boston-,"

"-What, you-you don't-don't want me here, or something?" Zack's voice turned to a hurt tone, though he tried to mask it with his trademark carelessness.

"No, no, Zack, it's not that," Kurt groped for the right words. "I just...Iwant what's best for you and your brother, and I'm starting to think your mother's right."

"So," Zack clenched his jaw. "So, even though you _told_ me it was going to be _my_ choice, you're kicking me out-,"

"-Zack, I'm not 'kicking you out', I'm just saying. Your mother is coming this weekend, and she wants you to leave with her-,"

"-_What_?" Zack stood up violently from the table. "_This weekend_?" He let out a cry of anger. "This is so _unfair_! I want to stay _here_! I love it here! What-what about my _friends_ and-and _school_? What am I supposed to do about _that_? I can't just drop everything because my mom _misses me_!"

Kurt half rose, trying to remain calm and level-headed. "Think about Cody, Zack, he needs you there-,"

"Oh, so this is about _Cody_?" Zack glared at his father, fists clenched at his sides. "Well, that's nothing _new_. Everything's about _Cody_! You just-you just like him _better_, right? So does Mom. He's the _good one_, right? Poor, sweet, _innocent Cody_!"

"Zack, stop it, you're way off-,"

"-Oh, _I'm_ way off?" Zack laughed humorlessly. "That's great, dad, just get _rid_ of me! Just give me back to _mom_ 'cuz _you_ don't want to _deal_ with me!"

"Zachary," Kurt stood and shook his head authoritively. "Stop _right_ now-,"

"-You know what?" Zack snarled. "I don't need _you_. _Or mom_. I don't need _any_ of you!" he backed away, shaking with emotion, and left the small kitchen, darting up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.

Kurt slowly sankback downinto his chair and rubbed his temples. "Well," he said lowly to himself. "That went well."

* * *

Zack furiously stuffed clothes into a suitcase, adding a notepad and pens and three water bottles to the hodgepodge. He grabbed his guitar and put both it and the suitcase in the corner of his room, yanking on his pajamas and turning off the light.

Tonight he'd leave. Go somewhere where nobody could find him. Life in Boston had _sucked_. And just when everything in Connecticut had been going _really great_ he had to leave. Nobody seemed to care about what _he_ wanted. _Nobody_.

Cody was a lot tougher than he got credit for. He could take bullies. He had Tapeworm. He didn't need his brother.

Zack stared at the clock.

By the time it read three fifteen, he'd be long gone.

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**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	6. Chance Taken

A/N: Okay. So. As an FYI and a little bit of a spoiler, Zack_will _eventually get back to Boston. How, why, or when I can't tell you, but he will go back at some point in the story. I know last chapter was definitely Zack-centered, but there's a lot of Cody in this one, for all the Cody-fans out there. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

Dedication: To strawberryfinn, because we're co-writing a new fic called _Run_ (prologue's up now), and she's so much fun to work with ).Check it out if you get the chance!

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_Well I suppose we'll all make our judgment call  
We'll walk it alone, stand up tall, then march to the fall  
So we better be happy now that we'll all go home._

-Jason Mraz; _The Boy's Gone

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**SIXTEEN MONTHS PREVIOUSLY**

"Game room. You coming?"

Cody didn't even bother looking up from _The Lord of the Flies_. "No,"

Zack leaned over the couch with his puppy-dog face firmly in tact. "Come on, man! Get out once in a while; have some fun!"

"I'm reading," Cody answered, still not looking up from page six.

"Yeah, but it's no fun without someone else. Even _you'll_ do." Zack said, adding in a signature sarcastic little quip at the end, as was his specialty.

"No."

Zack groaned. "What if I said please?"

Cody rolled his eyes as he turned to page seven. "You wouldn't. And I still wouldn't go."

Zack scowled. "Fine. But someday you'll be sorry."

"Great." said Cody. "I'll mark my calendar."

When Zack had left, Cody set the book down and yawned widely. Rubbing his eyes he meandered over to their bedroom and tossed the book on his bed. He turned to leave when something caught his eyes; a little bag of what appeared to be white candy stuck out from a trophy on Zack's shelf. Cody was strict on the rule of no food in their room; he didn't want the place to smell. He pulled it out and sniffed it. It looked like rock salt; white and flaky.

"What the hell, Zack?" Cody said, shaking it. Whatever candy it was, it looked disgusting. Cody didn't even bother sampling it before he tossed it on his brother's bed and left the room.

Cody never saw the bag again, but he could have sworn he saw Zack's hands shaking at dinner that night, and as the week wore on his twin began acting strange and Cody found himself avoiding his brother more often.

Grades, he thought. Or girls, guitar, games…

But not that bag of candy.

Zack had a strange taste in food, after all.

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

Cody couldn't sleep. He'd just had the best day he'd had in a long, long time; Patrick-free, curtsey of the Boston School System and the goodness apparently found in the world. And yet, as he tossed and turned he found his mind going to other places. To Hunter, Connecticut.

Cody was a science-minded person. He believed in order and mathematical solutions and that logic always had its place. Ghosts, demons, horoscopes, palm-readers…He always dismissed them as trivial entertainment practices; never to be taken seriously, and always to be skeptical about.

But the one person who had always challenged his rigid stance on the left-brained principles of modern Utopia was Zack. Not because of Zack's own beliefs (Cody doubted his brother had any past guitars and girls), but because of the simple and outright undeniable fact that they were twins.

More than brothers, more than family members, more than just genetically related. They were identical twins. Four minutes apart maybe, but still born of the same night, of the same hospital, of the same mother.

Point blank.

For some reason it had never come to any surprise to Cody that he could often sense his brother's moods, or finish his sentences without thinking twice. And it wasn't so much that he _could_ so much as it was that he _did_. They way he'd felt the deep, unexplainable and devastating pain Zack had experienced on the night of Sam's suicide, and the intense fear on that morning when they'd said goodbye nine months ago. It was more that improbable; it was downright impossible.

But so was love and evidently that was real enough.

And so as Cody tried to fall asleep his thoughts turned angry and confused, hurt and sad, he felt lost without any reason as to why.

Unless Zack felt the same way.

Filled with a foreboding sense of unease, Cody rose from his bed and left the room, deciding he'd have a nice, calming cup of hot chocolate to put his mind at rest.

He poured the mix into the cup and filled it with milk before sticking it into the microwave and punching in a minute and a half. Sighing, he sat leaned against the counters and closed his eyes.

"Cody?"

He looked and found his mom at the doorway. She had her robe on and looked as though she, too, had had sleeping problems.

"Couldn't sleep," Cody mumbled. Carey smiled sympathetically and walked over, taking another mix of hot chocolate and replacing her son's cup when the timer rang out shrilly.

"Why not?" Carey asked him when hers was heated and they had both sat down at the kitchen table.

Cody blew on his slightly to cool it. He shrugged.

Carey nodded. "Cody, I-I talked to your father earlier today," Cody looked up at her quickly in surprise. "And I'm going to bring Zack back this weekend."

"What?" Cody asked, setting his mug down. "Wait, did you-did you talk to him, or something?"

Carey took a drink. "No, not to Zack. But from what your father says he's more than ready to come home,"

"Yeah, but then why doesn't he want to?" Cody asked, frowning slightly.

Carey sighed. "I'm not sure if it's that he doesn't _want_ to, or that he's _afraid_ to." Cody looked at her strangely.

"Afraid? Why would he be afraid? He's not in trouble-?"

"No, no he's not, but think about it, honey," Carey took another sip. "When he left he wasn't feeling great, and now he's had the chance to make up for things in Connecticut. He's probably scared to face all of his old problems, you know?"  
Cody bit his bottom lip. "He's angry," he said softly. "He feels like dad doesn't want him there anymore and that you're making him come back…" he recited the words as though they were practiced, when in reality he was rather surprised of what was coming out of his mouth.

"I-," Carey frowned at him. "What makes you say that, Cody?"

He slowly looked up at her, gaze unfocused, deep in thought. "He-he wants to stay with his new friends, but he feels guilty that he's not protecting me from Patrick, and he hates being told what to do, and dad must've told him you're coming this weekend. But," Cody frowned deeply. "But he took it wrong. He thought it was dad's idea and you just support it. He's mad. Really mad…"

Carey looked at him with an expression akin to alarm. She turned over her palm and pressed it to his forehead. "Cody? Are you feeling okay?"

Cody shivered, but not because he was cold. "Mom," he whispered, staring somewhere behind her. "Mom, he's gonna run away," he looked at her in fear but she shook her head and smiled calmly.

"No, baby, you're just…remembering a dream, or something. Zack's fine. He's at your father's house, but he'll be back with us this weekend, okay?"

But Cody was shaking his head, too. "No, mom, he's gonna run away tonight. I _know_ Zack; I _know_ what he would do." He shivered again and his mother rose from the table and led him away to his room. She paused at the door and Cody looked at her pleadingly; desperate for her to believe him.

"Get some sleep, okay? We can talk tomorrow. It's Friday."

"No, mom, listen to me!" Cody tried to tell her, but she just smiled once tiredly more and gently closed the door behind her. "_Damn_ it…" Cody whispered, looking around his room for a solution.

If Zack ran away…he could get kidnapped or lost or fall back into drugs or be _killed_…Alone in Connecticut. At night. Without food, without money, without _anything_…It would take a little over two hours to get to Hunter, and if Cody took a cab there tonight he could intercept Zack…Find him before something happened…

It was crazy. It was insane. It was stupid and reckless and _impossible_ to pull off. He would be chancing everything on a _whim_. Even if his connection with Zack had always been absurdly accurate, who's to say he wasn't just subconsciously guessing at means to an end?

Cody grabbed his wallet; his job at the bookstore paid well, and he had over two hundred dollars of savings.

For the second time that night, Cody went against logic.

He closed the door silently on his way out.

* * *

Zack had originally planned to take his dad's car (I mean, hey, he owned a _dealership_, for God's sake. He had plenty to choose from), but the motor would have woken everyone up and that would have ruined everything. 

Once he got into Hartford he could hail a cab and go…

…Somewhere.

Once upon a long time ago they, Cody and his parents, had all gone up to a little cabin on a lake in Southern Massachusetts; about an hour west of Cape Cod and had stayed for a few days. It had been one of the last times they'd all been together as a family before his mother had filed for divorce when Zack and Cody had been six.

Maybe he could go and crash there…Until he figured out something else to…do…Jeez, his plan had a few holes. Gaping ones, as it stood.

He'd fill them later.

Pulling over the hood on his sweatshirt Zack readjusted the backpack over his shoulders and tightened his grip on his guitar case.

In forty five minutes he'd be in Hartford, and then, if he was lucky, he could reach the cabin by the next morning.

If he was lucky.

* * *

Cody himself had never snuck out of the Tipton at night before, but he'd heard Zack tell him about his own experiences numerous times. 

Nothing was on, but the sliding doors still worked when he pushed and the security alarms only worked for people coming _in_. Zack had always climbed out the window, but Cody hated heights.

Boston was no New York, but it was still up and about at midnight. Cars whizzed past him and he stuck out a hand to signal a cab. In five minutes a taxi pulled up. Cody ducked inside, relieved when the driver was woman. He doubted she'd kidnap him. That was always a good thing not to be; kidnapped.

"Where to, kid?" she asked.

"Hartford." Cody said. "I have the money."

"If you say so," the driver said, pulling away from the curb.

And Cody lay back and closed his eyes. It was ironic, how he felt like he could fall asleep doing what was quite possibly (and quite undeniably) the stupidest andmost irresponsible thing he'd ever done before in his life.

But he had to find his brother.

He had to find Zack, because Zack could not find himself.

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**To Be Continued

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_Please review!_


	7. Less Than More

**A/N:** Alright. You're going to be quite mad at how evil I was to end this chapter asI did, but I've been pretty nice when it comes to cliffhangers, so cut me some slack. Thanks to those who reviewed!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.**

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_A brother is a friend provided by nature._

-Legouve Pere

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**THREE HOURS LATER**

Cody had just gotten into Hartford, much later than he'd anticipated, and because it was bordering on four A.M. he decided he'd leave a message on the home phone so his mother wouldn't worry. He'd meant to leave a note, but that hadn't happened. He took out his cell phone and dialed home. No answer. That was good.

A beep. "Hey, mom, it's Cody," he hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Uh, like I said before, I know Zack ran away. I'm in Hartford looking for him. I'm okay, so don't worry. I'm gonna turn my cell off to save battery, but I'm keeping it with me just in case. I'll call you as soon as I find Zack. I'm worried about him right now. Don't call the police, please, mom! I'm fine. Give me one day. If I'm not back or if you haven't heard from me than you can do whatever. But I just need, like, one day, okay? Love you, bye."

He snapped the phone shut and turned it off, sighing and watching his breath appear before him like fog. It was a chilly night; and he was increasingly glad that he had remembered to bring a coat. He doubted Zack would have planned so far ahead.

Okay. First things first. He should ask around; see if anyone had seen his identical twin.

He walked into an all-night store, hopelessly determined.

* * *

Zack shivered, teeth chattering violently. It was freezing. January in the northeast was merciless; cold and bitter and icy…And he'd forgotten a coat. 

The anger and the hurt that had before pumped so hot in his veins had died down, and now a small tinge of panic had started in the back of his mind. He was somewhere in Hartford, though where he had no idea whatsoever. It was dark and creepy, and odd men with paranoid looks and evil glints would stare at him until he ducked into an ally or a store.

He needed to sleep, too, he was exhausted. But he wasn't stupid; he knew he had to get as far away from Hunter as he could before morning, because as soon as his father found out his was MIA he'd call the cops, and Zack really didn't feel like running any more than he absolutely had to.

He stuffed one cold hand into the pocket of the black sweatshirt and clenched his jaw to stop the chattering. His hand clutching the guitar case was still and red, but he dare not release it. The guitar was all he had left. He'd been walking for twenty more minutes when someone appeared in front of him.

"You lost?"

Zack looked up, but the figure was shadowed. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by people on all sides. Instinctively, Zack began to back away, but he ran into someone behind him.

"No," said Zack nervously, shivering harder.

"You got money on you?"

Zack shook his head (even though he had thirty bucks stuffed in the pockets of his jeans). "No. I just want to get out of the city."

The figure laughed, but it was a laugh that the hairs stand up on the back of Zack's neck. "You're not alone, man. See, here's the thing," he stepped forward, and Zack found himself backed into a dark ally. An ally that reminded him of the one he'd been in when Sam...He shook his head and focused on his present situation. "My brothers and I-," he waved around to the figures surrounding Zack. "Need some cash. We think you're lying. Now, we can get it from you the easy way, or we can offer some…different persuasion. Your call."

Zack sucked in a sharp breath. "I-I only have thirty dollars," he said. "You can have it; here," he grabbed the wad of fives from his left pocket and handed it over to the guy in front of him. "Take it. I-I don't need it."

The figure tucked the money away, but did not leave. "This isn't enough." He said, and though his voice remained even it had retained a steely edge. Zack swallowed thickly.

"It's all I have," he said pleadingly. "I swear! That's all of it!"

The man's head nodded towards the guitar case. "What's in there?"

Despite the rather dire circumstances Zack now found himself in he nearly snorted at the man's question. _What did he _think _was in there_? "My guitar. But it's not worth anything," he added quickly, foreseeing the unfortunate.

"Oh, everything's worth _something_," the man said slyly.

"What?" Zack asked, a deep coat of fear settling on his shoulders as he began to shake nervously. "No, I-,"

"-Give it to me."

Zack frowned. Hell _no_ was he going to hand over his guitar to some guy on the street! "No," he said defensively, affronted.

"Give it to me, kid."

"_No_."

"Give it to me!"

"No! It's not worth any money! It was a present!" Zack protested loudly, unwilling to part with the instrument that had seen him through such tough times. It was a link to his mother and Cody, a link to his music, a link to his father. And it was _his_! Suddenly he felt a crashing blow to his stomach and he barreled over in pain.

The people around him sniggered lowly, and the man in front of him kicked him aggressively in the chest. Zack cried out a little, stumbling but managing to stay on his feet. Again, the guy struck; this time to Zack's face. He tasted copper in his mouth, and wiped away the blood that ran from his nose.

"Give us the case!" someone shouted, but when Zack refused to relinquish his hold more blows came raining down and the more he tried to fight them off and roll away, the harder they came.

After a minute of excruciating torture, they stopped, and Zack felt the case being torn from his hands. He tried to call out, but found he lacked the strength, and could only watch as his precious guitar was passed from shadowed hand to shadowed hand as he gasped for the breath that _was not there_. He felt hands grabbed his sweatshirt and pull him up, slamming him against the cold brick of the surrounding walls.

"Okay," Zack gasped as his head connected viciously with the brick. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" But the man seemed not to listen as he knocked Zack's head harshly against the wall.

He threw the sixteen-year-old to the ground, and, to the mob of snickering young men pulled out a gleaming metal knife. Zack stared up at it; stunned and bleeding, and it took him a moment to realize what it was.

When he did a cold, cruel, deep fear seized him and numbed all sense of thinking. All he could see was the glimmer of the blade…The ever-enclosing hand that held it…The breath that appeared like a ghostly mist in the cold night air.

And then there was only pain.

Sharp, paralyzing, unbearable pain that gripped his abdomen. His hands went to cover the wound, feeling hot, sticky blood gush out like water. His mind flashed bizarrely to the time he'd rented _The Shining_ with Sam and there had been that great wave of blood…He moaned in agony, eyes wide and glazed. He realized a minute later that he was alone.

And as the world faded to black, he felt a deep cut of hurt, somehow worse than the knife's vicious stab, as he remembered that they had taken his guitar.

* * *

Cody had thought he heard laughing in an ally he had just passed, and as he ducked behind a dumpster to hide from muggers a gang of eight or so men came dashing out of the lane, the leader clutching something big like a suitcase. 

Frowning and filled with a sudden sense of terror, Cody silently crept out of his hiding spot and slowly entered the ally.

Squinting, as the lighting was horrible and the moon hadn't bothered showing up, he tried to focus on a shape near the center. It appeared as though someone was lying on the ground. Because he was a good person and sensitive to the common good, Cody's first inclination was to immediately give assistance to this fallen civilian, but he knew the dangers of touching blood (HIV and AIDS scared him more than anything) and so he hung back, debating.

Maybe he would've turned and walked away had he not heard the faint groan. Maybe he would've forgotten this injured person, walked away in his search for Zack. Maybe he would've moved on with life. He certainly would not have been alone.

Nevertheless he _did_ hear the faint groan emitted from the wounded body and he decided right then and there he had to do something. He crept closer and realized with a startling jolt five seconds later that he _knew_ this victim.

Horror held him hostage in a sea of alarm and shock and terror as he stood and stared at his fallen brother. Fear blinded him and made him unable to do anything but stare. Shock tore at his common sense; destroyed it and brought a ringing in his ears.

_Move, Cody, move! Zack's dying, Zack's dying, Zack's dying and you're just going to stand there? Watch him die? Move!_

And then the spell was broken.

"_Zack_!" he whispered, collapsing to his knees, with shaking fingers he reached towards the body, but there was so much blood it made him sick to his stomach. Forcing back bile, he began to shake violently. "Oh, God," tear sprung to his eyes as he slowly reached his hand down to feel for a pulse. "Please," he pleaded with growing desperation. "_Please_, Zack! Please be alive. _Please be alive_…"

_Please be alive_…

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**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	8. Stay With Me

**A/N**: Thanks to the reviewers!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

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_To the sick, while there is life there is hope._

-Cicero

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_Please be alive_...

Cody searched desperately for a pulse.

And found none.

He was crying now, great gulps of tears that poured from his eyes like buckets in the hands of a clumsy child. His trembling hand on his brother's neck grew desperate, as his other palm rested gently on Zack's head, thumbing back his long bangs from his pale forehead.

"No," Cody murmured between sobs, bringing his brother's torso into his lap and gazing into his lifeless face. He bent his head so that they touched foreheads; grief overcoming him like a tidal wave rids a town of its serenity.

"Why…?" Cody whispered, breath hitching in his throat. "You can't die, Zack…" he moaned, his voice small and weak. _If he'd just gotten there sooner…H_e gulped, blurry vision swarmed with salty tears. "I'm so sorry, Zack. I'm so sorry…"

And he hugged his brother to him, enveloped in death's icy grasp as his heart beat fast in chest and his mind spun around memories and fear and sorrow and _he needed to call 911_!

He gently set Zack down and took out his cell phone. His fingers were shaking so badly it took him three tries to turn it on, and he ended up missing the nine twice before he got it right.

"911 dispatch. Please state your emergency."

Cody took a shaky breath and swallowed a sob. "My brother," he managed. "He's not breathing. Something happened; someone hurt him…" Cody sniffed and wiped fresh tears out of his eyes.

"Where are you, sir?"

"Hartford," Cody said in a strangled voice. "Across from the park."

"Are you hurt?"

"Me?" Cody shook his head before remembering she couldn't see him. "No. No I was l-looking for him. My-my mom and my d-dad don't know we're out here."

"Would you like me to contact them?"

Cody considered this. It would be one less thing he'd have to do, and he doubted he could face talking to his mom right now. "Yeah," he whispered. "The-the number…Do you-you need it?"  
"Yes, sir, and your names."

Cody shivered. "I'm Cody," he said shakily. "My br-brother's Zack. The phone number-," he had to stop and think, his mind was so scattered. He finally gave it to her and she reminded him to stay calm, because she was sending an ambulance right away. He hung up and started to cry again; he'd never felt so helpless. So hopeless.

And then he felt a pulse.

* * *

It was five A.M. and Carey was panicking. She woken up early; having heard the phone a few hours ago and having gotten no sleep to speak of. Cody was somewhere in Hartford; hours away. Looking for Zack…

She hadn't taken Cody seriously. He'd been so convinced that his brother was going to run away and yet she didn't see how he could have known; didn't see the root for his unwavering positivity towards the apparent fact.

She needed to call Kurt.

He didn't answer for the first three rings, and then a voice half asleep answered. "Hello?"  
"It's Carey," she said instantly.

"Carey?" Rustling in the background. "It's five A.M."

"Cody's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean-,"

"-He ran away." Carey sighed, running a hand through her short blonde hair. "To find Zack, who he was convinced was gone, too."

"No," said Kurt tiredly. "Zack's here. In bed."

"Check." Carey ordered. She tended to get bossy when she was stressed or worried. Cody's phone message, far from calm her down, had made her even more concerned. He was usually so responsible…

"Hold on." said Kurt, sounding grouchy. Footsteps, a few moments, then: "He's gone."

Carey's heart sunk. "C-Cody left a message. He's in Hartford looking for him."

"Hartford?" Kurt sounded shocked. "Why—Zack wouldn't just—he was doing so well—this is all because of _you_, Carey!"

Carey was flabbergasted. "Me?" she repeated breathlessly. "What are you talking about-,"

"-You didn't give him the choice!' Kurt shouted angrily. "You made him think that _I_ was kicking him out! He didn't feel like he anywhere to go-,"

"-Hold on," said Carey as a beeping on the phone alerted her to another call. "I have another call. It could be Cody." She switched over. "Hello? Yes." A moment of shocked silence. "Oh, God, are they okay? I'm on my way."

"Carey?" Kurt demanded as she switched back over. "We need-,"

"Kurt-," Carey managed, voice strained and tears in her eyes. "Kurt something's wrong. I just got-got a call f-from a 911 operator." She stopped, breath catching in her throat. "Cody found Zack, but he's-Kurt, they-they said he's h-hurt."

* * *

Cody was listening for sirens. He'd found a faint pulse; turns out he needed to practice the art of searching for heartbeats. But Zack wasn't breathing properly, and he still hadn't woken up. He'd lost a lot of blood, too, from the gaping wound in his abdomen, and Cody worried about the faint blue tinge to his brother's lips.

He was in the middle of telling nonsense stories to keep himself sane, when a faint moan stopped him in a second. "Zack?" he whispered, not daring to hope.

Zack's brow furrowed slightly, eyes opening slightly as he gasped for a breath. Cody gently moved his twin's bangs out of his eyes and tried to give a reassuring smile. "Hey, man," he said softly.

"…what're you doing…here?" Zack's voice was quiet and slurred, as he weakly tried to raise his head unsuccessfully.

"I was looking for you," Cody answered, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I knew you'd run away and I found you here."

"…hurts…" Zack whispered, closing his eyes shut and elapsing a small cry. Cody squeezed his hand tightly. "…they…took…" Zack stopped to try to catch his breath, but he struggled with it.

"What?" Cody frowned. "What did they take?"

A single tear escaped Zack's eye and he slowly closed it. "…guitar…"

Cody bit his lip and sighed deeply. He knew how important that instrument was to his brother; knew how it had carried him through hard times and bad times and good times and now this…It had been his constant, his one rock…And to have it taken by muggers on the street…It would break him.

"It's okay," Cody said gently. "We'll get it back, Zack, okay? Somehow…They-they won't get away with it, man."

Zack began to shiver more violently as the blood loss began to set in. His face was white and his lips were ashen, a deep contrast to the crimson all around him. It terrified Cody more than anything had before.

"…miss…you…"

"Yeah, I missed you, too," Cody said, trying to keep his voice level and strong. "It's been awhile." He smoothed down Zack's hair and drew his hand back at the heat radiating off his brother's forehead. "Hey," he said as he noticed Zack's eyes had closed. "Stay with me, okay?"  
No answer.

"Zack!" Cody cried out, shaking him gently. The shivering had gotten worse and Cody ripped off his coat to try and stop the bleeding. He should have done that from the start, he realized, but he'd been so scatterbrained…He applied pressure, desperate to save his twin.

And then he heard the sirens.

* * *

An hour later found Carey pulling into the hospital, hair a mess and eyes red-rimmed with tears shed for what seemed like an eternity. Kurt sighted her immediately in the waiting room and shot up to comfort her. He put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder.

"He's in the ER now," he told her when they had sat down. His voice was paper thin and he was pale. "They won't-they won't tell me an-anything."

"And Cody?" Carey whispered. If something had happened to both her boys…

"He's fine," Kurt said. "He went to use the bathroom. I told him to-to go get a snack from the vending machine. He's pretty broken up."

Carey buried her head in her hands. "Did he tell-tell you what-what happened?" she asked, hardly daring.

Kurt sighed deeply and placed a hand on his ex-wife's shoulder. "Maybe this isn't a good time-,"

"-Tell me." Carey demanded softly, bracing herself.

"A group of eight or so men, Cody says, jumped him." Kurt began, clearing his throat frequently. "They-they wanted money or something, and they took his guitar," Carey closed her eyes, her heart-breaking as she knew Zack's would have been. "He-he must have said no because they-they beat him up and took a knife-," Carey gasped, eyes wide and Kurt rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "And they st-stabbed him in his abdomen."

"Oh, God," Carey whispered so faint Kurt almost didn't hear it.

"Cody said he was conscious for a little while, and then the ambulances came."

At that moment the younger twin walked in the waiting room. When Carey saw him she hurried towards him (it was empty save the three of them) and enveloped him tightly in an embrace.

"I'm sorry, mom," Cody was saying between sobs as he cried into her shoulder. "I'm really sorry!"

And Kurt watched his wife and his son from his seat in the plastic chair, feeling an enormous sense of dread and grief and fear overcome him. He felt guilty, and yet angry at the same time...He loved Zack, loved being a father to him. The nine months they'd spent living together were the best he'd had in a long time, and to have this happen...It was unthinkable. It was horrible. Zack was sixteen, he had his whole life in front of him. He had dreams and goals and skills and a _life_ to lead.

Never had Kurt felt so disgusted with the world.

And then a doctor appeared in the doorway.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

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**

_Please review!_


	9. Spoken Words

**A/N**: Thanks to all the reviewers and readers who put up with my sudden love of cliffhangers. I've given you a break this time 8).

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

* * *

_There it was at the tip of my fingers  
There it was on the tip of my tongue  
There you were andI had never been that far  
There it was the whole world wrapped inside my arms  
And i let it all slip away_

-Rascal Flatts; _Words I Couldn't Say_

* * *

Cody sat down in a chair as his parents rose to greet the doctor. The sixteen-year-old had never felt so terrified in his entire life, because for the first time he could remember, he couldn't reach out to Zack at all.

Their twin-connection wasn't always strong; most of the time Cody could only get Flashes of what Zack was thinking and even then it was just emotions and not actual _thoughts_ which, arguably, he did not _need_ telepathy to be aware of. But even when it was not working, Cody could always _feel_ Zack's presence. Just a little tinge, a little alarm, that told him his brother was around and still, however discreetly, thinking. When Zack had moved to Hunter with their dad it had lessoned considerably, but it had saved his twin's life last night and for that Cody would be unfailingly grateful.

But now…Now he could not sense Zack at all. Nothing. It was as though a little part of his own soul—heck, a lot more than just a _little_ was somewhere in the rooms behind the doors, and Cody could do nothing about it.

"Martin family?" The doctor checked, glancing at the clipboard.

"Yes," said Cody's father. "How's Zack?"

"Let's sit down," the man in the white coat said quietly, and perched himself across from the little family. "I'm Dr. Carter," he introduced himself.

"Kurt," said Kurt. "My ex-wife Carey, my son Cody." He looked at the doctor expectantly, hands trembling. It scared Cody to see his father so nervous. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them close, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. Carey pulled him closer to her and he leaned in to her embrace.

Dr. Carter smiled gently, before his gaze turned solemn once again. "When Zack was brought in, he had lost a lot of blood. We had some difficulty finding the right type of blood to give him transfusions, but one of our interns managed to provide what we needed." Carey sniffed loudly, and Dr. Carter continued. "The damage of the weapon luckily hit nothing major, so he was very lucky there. However there was some internal bleeding in the abdominal region, and we had to operate." He glanced down at his chart. "We did find some blackening of the lungs, however, in some x-rays we took. Has he had any history with smoking, maybe?"

Cody winced slightly and Carey wiped away a tear. "A little," she said. "A year ago he was in a house fire. He's had Asthma ever since."

The doctor nodded. "You may want to talk to a specialist regarding lung disease," he said seriously. "But other than that," he continued briskly. "Zack's recuperating quite nicely from the anesthesia. However, I _would_ like your permission to administer an HIV test. We know nothing of the knife and the nature of its condition, and we like to be sure when it comes to open wounds."

"Of course," said Kurt immediately. "But-when can we _see_ him, doctor?"

Dr. Carter looked at the chart in his hands. "I'll see what I can do," he said, and with a last reassuring smile he stood up. "He's going to be fine," he told them warmly.

And as he left Kurt sighed in relief, Carey brushed away her tears, and Cody buried his head in his hands. Suddenly he felt exhausted.

* * *

Zack couldn't move.

Dimly, he picked up on a slow beeping somewhere behind his head, and felt bandages on his arms and around his abdomen, but he felt no pain. Slowly, he moved his fingers, and then opened his eyes slightly. He had expected to see the inside of a hospital room, but all he saw was white.

Maybe he was dreaming…

He found that he was ling in a bed, and he gently pushed himself up, shocked when his injured wrist gave him no anguish. He was _definitely_ dreaming.

With a sudden jolt, he realized he was not alone. Sitting on a small stool across from his bed (a stool that, like everything else in sight was white) was a boy. A boy Zack knew. A boy Zack had last seen on the worst night of his life.

_Sam_…

"Hey, Zack. Long time no see." His hair was still curly and light brown, and glasses still perched on his nose, hiding violet eyes that were strangely calm for someone who had committed suicide nine months ago.

"Sam?" Zack whispered, finding his voice surprisingly steady.

"Yeah," his old friend said quietly, nodding and smiling slightly. "You're in the hospital. Cody saved your life."

Zack looked at him numbly as the past few hours came rushing to him. "But you're dead," he said softly.

Sam looked down. "Yeah," he agreed. "Look, Zack, about that. I just-I wanted to say-to say that I'm, you know, I'm sorry." He looked up apologetically. "Guess I kinda freaked out on you a little bit that night."

Zack swallowed thickly. "You were gonna shoot me." He didn't know whether to feel anger or sadness towards his late best-friend, so he looked away.

"No," said Sam. "_No_," he shook his head forcefully. "I'm not-I _wasn't_ a murderer. I wasn't gonna shoot you, man, not you." He opened his mouth, then closed it. "It got to be too much. My dad…" he shook his head and clenched his jaw. "It was just too hard." He said, gaze desperate. "And I'm sorry."

"Okay," said Zack, not wanting to grudge past mistakes. Not when he'd almost died himself. "It's cool, man, I forgive you."

Sam looked at him gratefully. "You're gonna wake up in a few seconds, Zack," he said after a long pause. Zack looked at him in puzzlement. Sam blinked slowly. "You're going to be in a lot of pain, so you might wanna brace yourself."

Zack looked at him, eyes wide. He was so confused…Where was Cody? Where were his parents? Where was _he_? He tried to ask Sam, but his voice didn't seem to be working anymore, and slowly he noticed that his friend was slowly going out of focus…Like a camera caught between two spotlights.

"Thanks for being my friend, man, it meant a lot. Really." Sam was still speaking, and Zack wanted desperately to answer him. "Your family loves you, Zack. Especially Cody. They want you to be happy…"

Zack squinted, trying to focus…Trying to see…_But I _am_ happy_! He wanted to shout. _I _do_ love them_!

"Try to be happy, Zack…"

And then everything went black.

* * *

"He's sleeping, now," Doctor Carter told the Martins as they stood outside his room. "We try to keep visits in the ICU down to one or two people at a time. In this case we'll allow the three of you to go in, but try to keep it short. Nothing more than five minutes or so."

"It's okay," said Cody, and his parents looked at him. "They can go in. I'll wait 'til they're done."

"Baby, the doctor said it was alright-,"

"-No, mom, it's cool. Really." In truth, he was terrified to go in and see his brother in this state. After that fire last year he'd hadn't much choice, but now it was different. Now it was more real, somehow, and now he wasn't filled with a deep and boiling anger. Now he was terrified.

"You sure, Cody?" Kurt checked. At his son's nod, he followed his ex-wife into the hospital room, bidding thanks to the doctor who'd held the door open. Cody leaned against the wall outside, sliding down so that he crouched and stared at the plain manila floor.

Dr. Carter stopped and nodded assuringly. "He's a lucky kid, you're twin."

Cody tried to grin. "Yeah," he managed. "Sometimes I think so."

The doctor smiled gently. "And you're one heck of a brother."

Cody blushed. "Thanks," he whispered.

* * *

When it was Cody's turn he slowly shrugged out of his mothers slight embrace and turned away from his father's concerned glance, and walked inside the room. Closing the door behind him he made his way over to the bed.

His brother was pale, and looked small laying propped up against the pillows. His wrist was wrapped tightly in gauze, and little bruises dotted his arms and face. A blanket covered where Cody knew a bandage would cover his abdomen.

He was sleeping deeply, brow furrowed slightly. Cody sighed as he sank down into the chair next to the bed. "Hey, Zack," he whispered.

Zack frowned in his sleep, coughing. His eye lids twitched, and Cody half rose from his seat. Slowly, Zack opened his eyes and his gaze settled on Cody. He opened his mouth to say something, but then winced and cried out a little.

"Hey," Cody went immediately to his side, grasping his brother's hand and squeezing it tightly and Zack clenched his eyes shut and his breathing became ragged. "It's okay, Zack, you're safe now."

"Cody?" Zack murmured, voice strained. "What…happened?" He tried to sit up, but evidently wasn't able to, and rested his head back on the pillow.

"I called 911," Cody said, looking at him in concern. "You lost a lot of blood. In the ambulance…" He broke off and chewed on his lip. "They had to perform CPR because you weren't breathing. They put this respirator down your throat…And then they made me stay out in the waiting room with dad. Mom came later."

Zack had closed his eyes again. "Oh," he said.

Cody sighed and sank into a little chair at the side of the bed, releasing Zack's hand. "Do you want me to get a nurse?" He asked him, seeing the obvious pain he was in.

Zack shook his slightly, then winced. "No," he managed. "Stay."

Cody didn't move.

"I saw-I saw Sam…" Zack said, eyes still shut.

"Sam?" Cody frowned. "Were you dreaming, or something?"

Zack shrugged limply.

Cody bit his lip and felt his twin's forehead. "You have a fever," he said mournfully, sitting back in the chair, and sighing in his helplessness. "Sam's dead, Zack," he reminded him softly.

"I know."

"So…It had to be a dream."

Zack turned his face away. "Guess so."

Cody felt guilty suddenly for being so blunt. Zack was sick and hurt, and here he was being rude. He hated being rude. He, Cody, should leave soon because his parents would want to come talk to his brother, and it _was_ the ICU; Cody shouldn't linger, especially if his presence was only…making things worse. He started to rise from his chair. "Was it-was it a-a good dream?" he asked, trying to bring the conversation back to more cheerful things.

Zack shivered slightly. "Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, it was a good dream."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	10. Black Guitar

**A/N**: Thanks for all the reviews! Last chapter up tomorrow; can you believe it? This chapter is short, and nothing really happens. It's more a transition into tomorrow's installment, where, yes, Tapeworm, Patrick, and Maddie will all make appearances.It'll be out tomorrow, if all goes well!

**Disclaimer**: I do own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

**Dedicated to**: CRIMSON HAZE for leaving incredibly uplifiting reviews and for giving me the confidence I needed to keep writing. This flashback is for you, and I hope you find it satisfying. And to Suspension for giving me tons of input when it came to this story and _Four Minutes; _you have no idea how much you helped this story along.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Life's but a span, or a tale, or a word, That in a trice, or suddaine, is rehearsed._

-Anonymous

* * *

**THREE HOURS PREVIOUSLY**

Kurt was getting angry. Someone had hurt his son, and this _idiot_ of a receptionist _would not tell him anything_! He stood before her, hands clenched in iron fists at his sides, hair disheveled, jeans wrinkled, sweatshirt crooked. He'd left the house as soon as Carey told him that 911 had called and driven the twenty minutes to the hospital right outside of Hartford.

He'd been in the empty waiting room for forty five minutes and heard nothing. Carey was on her way. That much he knew. But as of yet neither of them had any idea where either of their boys were, and it was driving him _insane_!

He swore loudly. "It's your JOB to know what's going on back there!" he howled furiously. "WHY won't you tell me what's going on?"

"Sir," said the receptionist, looking at him condescendingly. "You need to calm down. When the doctors are ready, they will come out and talk to you. Until then, all you can do is wait. I'm sorry."

Kurt kicked the bottom of the deck angrily. "I love my son, lady," he said, voice in the fake calm of the eye of the storm. "And if he dies and I wasn't there-," his voice broke, and he turned sharply away, hands gripping his brown hair.

If Zack died…The last thing they'd said to each other were the angry words of a senseless fight. _Why_ hadn't he apologized? _Why_ had he made it seem like he didn't want Zack with him anymore? _Why_! He loved that kid more than anyone else, save his other son. The short nine months Zack had lived with him had been the best Kurt had had in a long, long time.

_And now he'd gone and screwed it up…_

It was his fault Zack was dying; maybe dead. His fault he'd run away in the first place. His fault that Cody, innocent, sensitive, gentle Cody could be hurt right now, too. _All his fault_…

"Mr. Martin?" The receptionist sounded concerned. "Do you need any-."

"I'm fine," Kurt answered shortly, walking away stiffly and sitting down in one of the far plastic chairs. He ran a hand over his tired face and closed his eyes, trying to ignore grisly images his imagination took for a spin.

The door opened. Kurt looked up, expecting to see a doctor. Instead he saw a boy, sixteen, but looking younger now; more frail, move across the waiting room. "Dad," he whispered. Kurt stood up and held out his arms and his son ran into the embrace, tightly returning it.

"Oh, Cody," Kurt murmured into the teenager's hair. "I was so worried…" He held the boy out arm's length. "Are you hurt?" he asked sternly.

Cody's eyes shimmered. "No," he said, voice choked. "But Zack is," he sniffed and wiped a hand under his nose. "I don't know-what to do-," his voice hitched as he tried to hold back sobs, shoulders shaking.

Kurt swallowed thickly and led his son over to the chairs he'd sat in. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly; hand on his son's shoulder reassuringly.

Cody explained the story, stopping periodically to sniff or wipe his eyes. Kurt closed his eyes in pain when he got to the part about Zack being stabbed and tried to stop his hands from shaking.

"…and when we got here they took him-him into the operating room and they told me to go wait out with you, and I don't know-I don't know-," Cody buried his face in his hands and hunched forward.

"It's going to be okay, Cody," Kurt said, draping an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulling him close. "It's going to be okay."

Cody seemed to lack the energy to cry anymore and he sighed deeply. "It's been awhile, dad,"

"Too long, Codester," Kurt agreed, tightening his grip. "Heard things have been hard for you in Boston…"

Cody nodded slightly. "A little,"

Kurt let a tear he hadn't meant to shed fall into the boy's blonde hair. "Things are gonna get better now, okay? For all of us. I promise."

Cody made no reply."Where's mom?" he asked finally.

Kurt sighed. "She's on her way. She'll be here in a few hours."

"Can we call her?"  
Kurt smiled tearfully and sniffed loudly. "I don't have a cell phone," he said, laughing slightly despite the circumstances.

Cody bit his lip and reached into his pocket. "I do," he said, taking it out. "Can I call her?" Kurt nodded, and Cody walked away to get better reception (and also, thought Kurt, to get away from the father who's never been there for him).

Kurt massaged his temples and looked at his watch. It had stopped, frozen, at nine fifteen the night before.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Really. I'm good. Thanks, though."

Cody nodded and left the room, plopping down on the couch and cracking open _The Grapes of Wrath_. He deeply disliked reading this book, but unlike his brother who lay in bed in the next room, he did what was assigned to him.

It had been a day since they'd gotten home from the hospital, Zack protesting that he could have left _weeks_ ago. A thick bandage still covered his wrist (which had been badly sprained), and one red scratch refused to fade from his upper left cheek, and though the wound in his abdomen was healing nicely, a wrap still guarded it from infection and Zack still used a crutch to help walk.

Zack himself was back to the old Zack Cody had missed. The Zack who'd laughed and joked and played his guitar without a care in the world. The Zack who pulled a C-average and wore his grades with a mischievous sort of pride while standing up to anyone who gave his Cody a hard time.

He was in their room now, strumming cords on his favorite black guitar, found courtesy of Maddie, Tapeworm, and Zack's new friend Nick, who, upon visiting him in the hospital, learned of its kidnapping and how devastated Zack was to lose it. By searching pawn shops and music stores everywhere in Hartford they finally found it and brought it back to its loyal owner.

The hardest part of the whole ordeal was when it came time for Zack to say goodbye to his father. Kurt had stayed as long as he could, before he had to get back to his work and until he knew that Zack would make a full recovery. Carey and him had worked out a deal; once a month Zack and Cody would spend a weekend in Connecticut with their father, reconnecting, spending time together, and occasionally playing a little guitar. Or at least Zack would. Cody claimed he had inflexible fingers, and that he lacked the ear to hear music. Zack called him fearful of new things.

And so now, as Carey was out getting groceries (having delayed leaving her sons as long as possible), Cody sat on the couch of their suite, wondering what he'd done to be the luckiest kid in the world.

And then remembering that he'd done nothing but wait out the storm.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

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_Please review!_


	11. Building Bridges

**A/N**: So this is it. This is the end of the journey some of you have traveled with me since _Four Minutes_ back in June. This is finale of the show I never thought would be read; the curtain to the song never meant to be written. And, well, I want to say thank you. To everyone. To those who've stuck with me since the first sentence in _FM_, and to those who've come along for part two of the ride in _BB_. It means a lot, because no writer is as such without those willing to read. And to those who loyally reviewed nearly ever chapter...You are incredible. You know who you are, and if you ever need a co-writer or a beta-reader, I officially volunteer myself. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it, which is one heck of a lot.

Sincerely,

_Sillver_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_.

* * *

_Follow me  
Everything is alright  
I'll be the one to tuck you in at night  
And if you want to leave  
I can guarantee  
You won't find nobody else like me_

-Uncle Kracker; _Follow Me

* * *

_

"Ready?"

"Yep."

"You sure?"

"Yep. Lead the way."

"Because if you're n-,"

"-Cody! I'm ready, okay? Let's go."

Zack motioned outside of lobby as his hesitant twin brother sighed and pushed through the spinning doors and out onto the street. Zack shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and smiled happily at the busy passer-bys. His wrist had healed, as had his abdomen, and though a faint scar still decorated a cheek he was as good as new.

Cody slowed his pace to match his brother's and side-glanced his way. Zack met his gaze, smirking slightly and blue eyes amused.

"What?" he asked, laughter in his voice.

Cody shrugged. "It's just--it's been awhile," he said.

Zack raised a brow. "Since what?"

Cody blew out his breath and watched it appear before his face in a cool mist. His winter jacket kept him warm, though the slight wind chilled his face. "Since you were…you…" he said rather lamely, laughing in embarrassment and looking down.

Zack seemed to get it, though, and he nodded. "Guess so," he said seriously, hand brushing away a stray blonde bang that fell in front of his eyes.

A faint layer of snow lay upon the sidewalks, and footprints dotted the path and as they walked it towards the high school. "Scared to go back?" Cody asked his brother, curious and concerned at the same time.

"Terrified," said Zack honestly, chuckling. "But hey, gotta go back eventually, right? Can't hide forever." He sighed and fixed the knitted cap on his head. "I miss dad, though." he said.

Cody nodded. "We'll see him this weekend, though," he said.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "We will."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, past buildings and parked cars, heads down against the wind and gloved hands deep in the jackets of their coats. They walked past a parking meter long overdue, and a little boutique just opening up for the day, and then past a row of little houses, where all the twins could see were shoes and legs instead of faces.

"…let _go_ of me, Lisa!" One of those lower halves exclaimed viciously. Cody looked up at the voice and, without realizing it, stopped as he recognized the face.

"…I'll be inside. Tell me when you're ready to start acting your age…"

Zack looked at Cody and frowned, unsure as to the reason for his brother's sudden halt, but at the scared look on his twin's face he turned slowly to follow his gaze, and as he did so he stiffened considerably.

The boy was their age and he looked furious. He was thin and pale, hands curled into unforgiving fists at his sides. As he took note of the twins his angry expression hardened into one of twisted pleasure. "Well, well, well," he taunted slowly. "Look who's back in town…"

Zack tensed, and Cody looked at him worriedly. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's just go. I shouldn't have stopped."

"No, hold on," Zack silenced him, motioning with a hand. He cleared his throat and nodded at his old pal. "Patrick," he said by means of a greeting.

"Zack, man!" Patrick responded, tone cold and cruel. "Long time no see." He stepped forward and Cody bit his lip, taking a half-step back instinctively. "Heard you ran away. Couldn't take the _guilt_?"

"I had nothing to feel guilty for." said Zack quietly, but his voice was clear and strong and he stood tall and fearless.

Patrick snorted a sardonic laugh. "What? Sam's death wasn't weighing on your conscious, Zacky-boy?"

Zack blinked slowly, steely expression not betraying the fear and hurt he felt inside. "I didn't kill him," he answered cooly. "He killed himself."

"Yeah," said Patrick, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure he did."

Zack made no reply. Patrick wasn't worth it.

As if noticing Cody for the first time, Patrick laughed once and sneered at him. "Big brother's gonna protect you now, widdle Cody? Huh?" Cody looked immediately down at the ground, hands wringing each other nervously. "But he can't. Not really. You're not safe anymore, loser, not after you ratted me out." His gaze turned angry again and he balled a fist.

Zack moved in front of Cody, getting right in Patrick's face. "Leave my brother _alone_," he said dangerously, hands forming their own fists.

Patrick glared back stubbornly, before shaking his head and laughing humorlessly. "You'll never amount to anything anyway, Zack-man. Too much pot—goes to your head," he made the cuckoo motion and Zack started forward.

Cody grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him back. "Don't," he hissed. "He's not worth it-,"

Patrick snickered. "Better listen to him, Martin. Wouldn't wanna get your _ass_ kicked. _Again_."

Zack shook his head slowly, narrowing his eyes as he let Cody pull him away and back onto the sidewalk. "You just don't get it, do you, Patrick?" he called back as they began to walk again. Cody cringed slightly.

"Get _what_?" Patrick demanded.

Zack stopped walking for a second and looked back once more. "You think all that crap's fun. That it makes you something. But _you're_ not doing drugs, man, they're doing _you_."

Patrick seemed not able to find words to respond, and he simply stared back stoically, though Zack could have sworn he saw a small flicker of regret in the teen's eye. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.

And he walked the rest of the distance to school next to his brother. Neither of them saying a word, but both smiling.

* * *

When they reached the entrance to the high school Tapeworm and a girl several years older than him were sitting out on one of the benches. When they saw Zack and Cody approaching they rose and walked towards them.

"Hey, guys," Tapeworm grinned, pulling them each into an embrace separately.

"Hey," said Cody, beaming.

But Zack didn't answer; he was too busy looking at the girl next to Tapeworm. "Maddie," he said, a faint flush creeping up his neck. "What're you-,"

"-I had to say hello," she said, hugging him quickly. He returned the embrace and laughed nervously, twiddling his thumbs. "_And_ I wanted to ask you three if you wanted to go out to eat tonight. London's in town. My treat?"

"Okay!" said Cody at the same time Tapeworm said "Sure!"

Zack nodded shyly. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah that'd be…sweet, Maddie."

"Great!" she said, looking at Zack. "I'll email you."

As she walked away Cody turned to his brother in amusement. "Oh my God," he said, pretending to be exasperated. "Get _over_ her, man!"

Zack rolled his eyes and began to walk up the stairs towards the doors. "Dude," he said, as if explaining something to a very small child. "We're _made_ for each other, man, _made_ for each other."

He laughed with his friend and his brother and as they let themselves in he could have sworn he saw a familiar face wink at him from across the hall. A faint figure leaning against a locker; proud smile on his face and nodding slightly as he slowly faded from view. And Zack smiled, too, nodding at his old friend.

"Zack, you coming?" Cody called to him from up ahead.

"Yeah," said Zack, turning away as the image disappeared. "I'm coming."

* * *

The day was going good.

The sun was shining. The snow was melting.

He had a brother who looked out for him. Parents who loved him.

And when he got home, he had a guitar waiting to make the music he lived for.

And, Zack thought as he turned his attention back to the book Cody had let him borrow, that was more than enough.

* * *

**The End

* * *

**


End file.
